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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

1 John 5:14-15 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

If your child is wild, energetic, busy, screams a lot, never stops, constantly disobedient, loud, etc... YOU NEED THIS BOOK.
I'm learning so much about my kids (yes, both) and myself. I've realized that part of the reason I react so strongly to Franklin is we both have the *intense* characteristic. Think about it like this: When you put two pieces of dynamite together and only light ONE they both go off. Same thing with me and Franklin. We're both dynamite waiting for a spark. So when he goes off it sets me off and, well, sometimes things don't go so well. I yell, he yells, we both scream and cry and nothing gets accomplished.

I borrowed it from the library but I'm definitely putting it in my personal collection!

Hoarding is the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them. Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter....People who hoard typically save items because they believe these items will be needed or have value in the future...Source

If you change "items" to "emotions" or "grudges" the above description reads like most people. We hold on to grudges and bad feelings and bad memories. We fill ourselves up with those things until we're so full of depression/anxiety/hate that we can't let anyone else in. We feel that we need to hold on to this garbage because if we don't we'll forget and get hurt again. The danger that comes with hoarding is two-fold: 1) The stacks of garbage will fall and crush the hoarder. 2) If the hoarder needs help no one (ie: emergency crews) will be able to get in and help.

If you're so full of emotional garbage you probably don't feel comfortable letting anyone, including God, inside. I remember telling my husband, then boyfriend, "I'm not good enough for God." I thought I needed to clean up my life before I could invite God in...definitely before I let anyone else in either.

So what do we do? On the show they get a therapist and professional cleaning crew to come in and help the hoarder deal with the mess. We have that in the way of the Holy Spirit. He's a helper (John 14:16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever), a therapist, and a cleaning crew. If you ask the Holy Spirit to help you clean up your emotional garbage He will be MORE than happy to help.

If you need help/advice on how to ask the Holy Spirit for help please email me or comment below (or come find me on Facebook!)

Friday, January 6, 2012

So, last night we were in the Whataburger drive-thru (don't judge me) and suddenly Stefan goes, "I feel compelled to give this guy money. Get in the driver's seat." and jumps out of the car.
He walked over to a man sitting on the side of the road, gave him money, and came right back.
We made our order and pulled up to pay only to find out the lady in front of us had taken care of it.
When we pulled up beside her to wait for our order she rolled down her window and said, "I saw what you did. It was very kind. Thank you."

Seriously guys. Do something selfless today. God (or the Universe depending on what you believe) will pay you back.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

This week challenge:is to spend more time with God. To get to know Him better. To be content with where He has you. To not grumble and complain. To talk with Him.

Honestly, this will be harder for me than you might think...because it involves slowing down! I'm on the go from the minute I get up. I take care of kids, clean house, break up fights, try to teach something, eat, make food, clean some more...and work if I can squeeze it in. I realized while reading today's challenge that I really don't make time for God. Yes, Holy Spirit, I heard you...

And so I’d like to embark humbly on a Gentleness Challenge for mommy’s everwhere who struggle with raising their voices to their children, scowling, speaking in rapid fire foolish words or lecturing in anger.

52 Weeks to an Organized Home with Home Storage Solutions
Each week she gives you an area to organize. You just focus on THAT area each week (and snowballing from the week before) It's a GREAT idea. I know several people have "get organized" on their New Year's Resolution List. You can even get it sent weekly to your inbox so you don't have to worry about forgetting to check back.